The present invention relates to a robotic device management system and method, and an information management apparatus, intended to manage an autonomous type robot which acts autonomously.
Recently, there have been proposed robotic devices each capable of autonomously deciding its own behavior correspondingly to its surrounding environment and internal state. Such robots include for example a type which can have a pseudo-emotion and -instinct (will be referred to as xe2x80x9cemotionxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cinstinctxe2x80x9d hereunder) which are changed according to its environment and internal state, and behave correspondingly to such changes in emotion and instinct, that is, can reflect changes of its emotion and instinct in its action.
A robotic device is produced by a robotic device manufacturer, and sold to a user. Therefore, information on the robotic device is reserved at the manufacturer side. For example, the information stored at the robotic device manufacturer includes a program etc. by which an action of the robotic device is decided according to a slate such as an emotion as in the above.
Therefore, if the data stored at the manufacturer can effectively be utilized, it will have a higher value as a useful information resource. Also, if the data reserved at the manufacturer side can be served to the user for linkage or correlation with data reserved at the user side, it will be more useful. Service to the user of the information thus correlated with the data reserved at the user side will enhance the sense of attachment to his or her robot.
Accordingly, the present invention has an object to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art by providing a robotic device management system and method and an information management apparatus, capable of an effective utilization of information on a robotic device, reserved at a user of the robotic device, and data reserved at the manufacturer of the robotic device and also enhancing the user""s sense of attachment to his robotic device.
The above object can be attained by providing a robotic device management system including:
a transmitter to send, to a telecommunication line, information on an autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor;
an answer generator to generate answer information based on the robotic device-related information sent from the transmitter via the telecommunication line and reference information previously stored in an information storage means and corresponding to the robotic device-related information and send the answer information to a user of the robotic device via the telecommunication line; and
a receiver to receive the answer information sent from the answer generator to the robotic device user via the telecommunication line.
In the robotic device management system constructed as in the above, the information on the autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor is sent from the transmitter to the telecommunication line, the answer information is generated by the answer generator based on the robotic device-related information sent from the transmitter via the telecommunication line and reference information previously stored in the information storage means and corresponding to the robotic device-related information, and it is sent from the answer generator to the robotic device user via the telecommunication line, and the answer information sent from the answer generator via the telecommunication line to the robotic device user is received by the receiver.
Thus, the robotic device user can know the state of his or her robotic device from the answer information.
Also, the above object can be attained by providing a robotic device management method including steps of:
sending, to a telecommunication line, information on an autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor;
preparing answer information based on the robotic device-related information sent in the sending step via the telecommunication line and reference information previously stored in an information storage means and corresponding to the robotic device-related information and sending the answer information to a user of the robotic device via the telecommunication line; and
receiving the answer information sent in the answer preparing step to the robotic device user via the telecommunication line.
The above robotic device management method permits the robotic device user to know the state of his or her robotic device from the answer information.
Also, the above object can be attained by providing an information management apparatus including:
means for communicating, via a telecommunication line, with a user of an autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor; and
means for receiving information on the robotic device via the communicating means, preparing answer information based on the robotic device-related information and reference information previously stored in an information storage means and corresponding to the robotic device-related information, and sending the answer information to the robotic device user via the telecommunication line.
The information management apparatus constructed as in the above receives, by means of the answer generating means via the communicating means, the robotic device-related information sent from the user of the autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor the answer generating means receives, generates, by the answer generating means, answer information based on the robotic device-related information and reference information previously stored in the information storage means and corresponding to the robotic device-related information, and sends, from the answer generating means, the answer information to the robotic device user.
This information management apparatus permits the robotic device user to know the state of his robotic device from the answer information.
Also, the above object can be attained by providing a robotic device management method including steps of:
sending, by a user of an autonomous type robotic device which acts autonomously according to an external factor and/or internal factor, information on the robotic device, and receiving, by means of an information management apparatus, the robotic device-related information sent from the robotic device user;
managing the robotic device by the information management apparatus based on the robotic device-related information received in the receiving step; and
sending, by means of the information management apparatus, information on the state of the robotic device, generated in the managing step to the robotic device user.
The above robotic device management method permits the robotic device user to know the state of his robotic device from the answer information.